Cocke County, Tennessee
Cocke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county forms the Newport Micropolitan Statistical Area which is, as of December 2005, considered a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area.http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2006/b06-01_rev_2.pdf As of 2000, the population was 33,565. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 34,929 http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-47.xls. Its county seat is Newport6. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,148 km² (443 sq mi). 1,125 km² (434 sq mi) of it is land and 23 km² (9 sq mi) of it (1.97%) is water. Part of the county is within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The county's highest point is Old Black at 1,942 meters (6,370 feet).http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/cohp/ Adjacent Counties *Hamblen County (north) *Greene County (northeast) *Madison County (east) *Haywood County (south) *Sevier County (southwest) *Jefferson County (northwest) Demographics census data]] As of the census² of 2000, there were 33,565 people, 13,762 households, and 9,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 30/km² (77/sq mi). There were 15,844 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 96.16% White, 1.99% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 13,762 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.87. In the county, the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,553, and the median income for a family was $30,418. Males had a median income of $26,062 versus $18,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,881. About 18.70% of families and 22.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.80% of those under age 18 and 18.70% of those age 65 or over. History Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Cocke County probably was inhabited by Cherokees. The first recorded European settlement in the county was in 1783 when land near the fork of the French Broad and Big Pigeon rivers was cleared and cultivated. The earliest European settlers were primarily Scots-Irish, Dutch, and Germans who came to the area over the mountains from the Carolinas or through Virginia from Pennsylvania and other northern states. The county was established by an Act of the Tennessee General Assembly on October 9, 1797, from a part of Jefferson County. It was named for William Cocke, one of the state's first United States Senators. Cities and towns *Cosby *Del Rio *Hartford *Newport *Parrottsville In popular culture The novel Christy", and the television series "Christy", are based on historical events, actual people, and localities of Cocke County. The fictional small town of El Pano, where the novel begins, is based on the existing village of Del Rio, Tennessee. Cutter Gap, where most of the plot unfolds, represents the locale now known as Chapel Hollow. Several area landmarks associated with the story are marked for visitors, including the site of the Ebenezer Mission in Chapel Hollow, which is located off the Old Fifteenth Rd., about 5 miles from Del Rio. References * Chapel Hollow, Tennessee * Goodspeed Publishing Company, "History of Cocke County", pages 864-867 in ''History of Tennessee, 1887. Retrieved November 26, 2006. * Walker, E.R. III, "Cocke County" in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Tennessee Historical Society and The University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved November 26, 2006. External links Category:Cocke County, Tennessee Category:Counties of Tennessee